[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> welcome to politico live. it was an amazing speech. if you think about bruce springsteen are any great performer, you want to leave them on their feet wanting more. for the first time we have seen a republican come out and offer an indictment of the obama legacy and do it with a smile on his face and do it with families hugging him at the end and connecting with this mother. that is what everybody wanted to see from him. it raises the bar for what mitt romney has to do. that is why republicans have been dying for. somebody who can articulate conservative theology in a way

that will resonate with people are not conservatives a. >> that is a huge concern to democrats. i have been getting e-mails saying, this might sound good but there is so much not based on fact. there are things there fact checking on. that is not what most voters will look at. it was a very strong speech. >> the paul ryan we saw will be more difficult to demonize or attack. a top republican said this is the best convention speech they have had since ronald reagan. he nailed the line about them lie in the in their bedrooms staring at the obama posters, that is the line of the convention. he went on to say medicare is a promise. we are going to keep it. >> if you think about all the boxes you have to check in a speech like this, you need to

indict obama, liberalism, defended mitt romney, a commonality on faith. he hit it on every line. >> he did the generational shift. the ipod joke went well. he continued as you were talking about the bedroom thing. the imagery of the convention which is, obama is like a aging rock star. it is ok. he is like a tattoo. you can move on. i thought it was very effective a. >> everything they set out to do, they did it in 30 minutes. it is what republicans have been looking for which is a changing of the guard. a subtle dig at president bush. he said not just the last four years, but the years before it. it resonates with conservatives

that were so disgruntled with president bush and the spending in the bush years. the people who became members in the tea party. we are ensuring in a different time. the question is, can mitt romney do that? nobody will ever vote for a ticket because of a vice president. there is no doubt he did a ton of good for the man on the ticket by going forward. mitt romney has to take the speech tomorrow night in has to hit a home run as powerfully as ryan did. >> i disagree a little bit. expectations are so low for mitt romney. people did not expect him to do what paul ryan just did. he delivered an emotional -- with his mother. his mother stands up. these are very strong visuals for people. >> mitt romney gets credit for

picking him. seven words out of his speech that matter the most -- we will not duck the tough issues. >> i might actually say people might vote for the vice president because mitt romney is not competing with him. romney's he's comfortable in his own skin with this guy around. he introduces him. he is not worried about being overshadowed. he likes this. if he is elevating him, that will give other voters the confidence to say, he really thinks the guy is great. >> it has to be a proud moment for romney. we all thought because of medicare, the complexities engaging -- let's be honest. democrats are e-mail in this around. there are a lot of rumors on medicare that are not totally accurate. they are turning a lot of

figures and numbers to their advantage, and distorting the real facts. nobody will watch this on the factcheck.org. >> this will be a speech that is just on the dial that will rate extremely well. >> it is almost like a sunday school teacher delivering it had a very -- and e-mail i got, it was not hokey like so many speeches were. there was no lipstick on a pig in this speech. >> he did began a little bit rocky. he seemed a little bit nervous and slow. >> he definitely picked up a really good tempo as he went. >> he ended with a man trapped. -- a mantra.

>> he had a real purpose of the medicare. he stayed on that for quite awhile. he said it several times. do not worry. we will not get it like the other guys did. he was trying to fix on things like his mother. >> we will look at specific and -- were there any specific lines memorable to any of you? >> our nation needs this debate, we want this debate, we will win the debate. the problem is, it came after a premise that was not true. it was about obama rating of medicare. -- raiding of medicare. i do not think we can skipver that and give him a pass on that. what's that is a concern for democrats. this will get skipped over.

it is more than us not giving him a pass on this, they are up with a substantial bye on this issue. i think he supports it pretty firmly. >> like any entitlement policy, this is competition and have to distort the numbers to win the debate. you want to scare people. if you look at the numbers, republicans have improve their standing in the debate over who do you trust to handle medicare. suddenly republicans are tied or have an advantage. it is not because of the power of the argument -- it is because of the power of the argument against what barack obama proposes in his health-care plan which is a reduction to providers. >> people assume the democrats. but what are you picking up on

your e-mail? how will they attack the speech on medicare? >> the closing of the plant. they're saying 2008 before obama took office. they are going to put out facts and figures. >> some democrats are saying, that was a pretty good speech. >> there are some disputed facts, but privately they recognize this was a well delivered speech. it raises the bar for a couple of reasons. how he will be on the stump. i do not think paul ryan needs mitt romney to be good. the question on this debate with joe biden is living pretty large. the vice presidential debate in 2008 was the most watched of that cycle. i think you can expect the same thing. >> about one month ago, our analysis would have been, you

have three pivot points and center of the election. the debates. specifically the first debate. his performance tonight is going to make the convention more of a success that would have been going in today. it will go down to the debates. a great piece in "the atlantic," who looked at all the debate tapes from mitt romney when he was and massachusetts. his take away was, he is a good debater. >> we have john harris with us and the news room which is about five blocks from here. harris, what is your take on the speech? >> i thought it was a very effective speech. republicans said barack -- prosper when they can motivate

conservatives and do so in a way that does not frighten the metal is american political nerve. the biggest success was 2010. they had an extremely motivated base. they were saying the same thing about concerns about spending, healthcare -- the same things independence wanted to hear. the past couple of years they have not had that. romney's speech was effective because he touched every erogenous zone conservatives wanted touched but did it in a way that was appealing and also resonated with voters that are concerned about spending in the size of government. >> are there any reporters or editors who did not think it was a strong speech? >> i think the consensus is it was a strong speech. one thing i heard was he did seem quite young. he is 41 and looks about 10

years younger than that. i thought there were a couple of moments where there was a little bit of a doogie howser factor going on. his acknowledgment that he is a full generation younger than mitt romney, but the two of them have their arms locked in an important cause is appealing. there were moments where he would say, is this person really ready to be commander-in-chief? not many of those. most people here thought the same carry >> has somebody who just turned 71 and looked like they just turned 41, i am offended by the remarks he just made. >> you ought to admit, you have ryan and -- you thought there would be a young-and politician who likes ac/dc, led zeppelin.

anyway, i think you have to be fair to paul ryan. he was a little bit ahead of you. >> the changing of the guard inside the republican party. it is not just paul ryan. scott walker, another popular 30-something. marco rubio will have 50 minutes in prime time tomorrow. talk about the changing of the guard. where are we in this moment for republicans? >> you always have a generational turn of the cycle. all right and really represents that. i think this powerful speech with a prominent platform tonight. paul ryan gets a big leg up in the competition for who will

lead the next generation of republicans. i do not know about scott walker. probably some of the other republicans tearing up. this person has elbowed his way to the front of the line. paul ryan did himself a great deal of good. i think he also did mitt romney a great deal of good with the speech. >> he even talked about the echo of his language, spending money we do not have the. a lot of people are saying, this will silence -- does this give romney a second wind for the ticket? >> i think it did. we had heard romney had taken a swan dive with his pick. i do not think we will the -- we will see how the medicaid doe's long-term to know whether for

sure this was a smart pick. it is clear it is not a an empty pool. they are diving into the poll and there is water there. they are willing to listen to them. >> to have suddenly become one of the most prolific reporters in the politico. talk about your piece about how the reduce that it was not a successful speech. talk about your piece tomorrow with mitt romney in the art of history where you often have a candidate who has a problem connecting emotionally with the american people. >> i do think we have a clear consensus on chris christie. not that it was a bad speech, but it -- it did not clear what would constitute success for a keynote eva -- address. one has to be an electric

response. that did not happen. he got mild applause. some people liked it. probably nobody disliked it. the place was not on fire. he did not have all of us in the politico room talking about, we have seen the face of the political party. we are saying that about paul ryan. paul ryan one that award. a disappointment for chris christie. we describe it as a belly flop. that will probably be a consensus. >> you might have a future in office, too, john harris. i do not want to take this too far away from paul ryan. >> i was talking to my co- blogger. alice burns.

>> you do not agree with the answer to either of us. >> i do not think i and faster and better. i think he is. >> whether or not kristy missed the mark. >> what is my reaction to paris? >> the e-mails. >> let me close my e-mail. they are not thrilled. i think the presentation of it was a belly flop. i think the feeling of it was there were negative reactions. not everybody will agree. they get praise from some people. the problem is, if you compare

the speech last night to what paul ryan did. we talked about how he envisions the republican party. if you look at how his speech came out, it was not poorly done, but it was like a new jersey state of the address. >> they have acknowledged it fell short of the mark. crisscrossed the giving his speech to the governors' association today. he said, people have been saying this is too subtle. who did they think i meant? is that less subtle? >> he is part of the speech in the beginning. people recognized it. he did not get to romney until 18 minutes into the speech. look ahead to tomorrow. mitt romney's moment.

we have had the build up. we have had paul ryan introduce him as a leader of the republican party and a person who can bring change. what do we know about the mitt romney speech right now? do we know the length of it? do we know the tone of it? >> he will talk a lot about his life in his words. we will hear about his mission. we will hear about the difference stuff in his career. he surprised me a little bit. he will go hammering at obama. not the way paul ryan did. he will be very tough. i think he wants to prove to people he is tough. he will build up -- the convention in producer asked him for a list of people who like his dad. he has to prove he can live up to what they said. >> think about how that sounds. that sounds very odd.

i think at the end of the day, that is a very interesting thing to suggest. if he is going to go hammer and tong after president obama, mitt romney needs to be careful how you approach this. you want to look presidential. one thing we have talked about -- this guy covered at the time. president obama made a joke about seamus the dog and a stump speech. he did it three times that day. it was really quite something to hear the president making a joke about his rival strapping a dog on the roof of a car. it was part of what has accelerated in the minds of a lot of republicans, the nastiness in the campaign. it was a surprising line. where mitt romney can do better

is standing above it. sounding a bit above that. it cannot be -- i think he has to find a way to make it bigger than that. >> if i was an adviser to the republican party, they should have had one that with condoleezza rice maco rubio, paul ryan, and mitt romney. imagine the impression that would have left. of the paula clip ryan speech and what it means to the republican party going forward. >> we are a full generation apart. in some ways we are different. there are songs and his ipod i have heard on the campaign bus. i have heard it on many hotel elevators.

[applause] he actually urged me to place some of the songs at campaign rallies. i said, i hope it is not a deal breaker, but my play list starts with ac/dc and ends with led zeppelin. [cheers and applause] >> that is a moment he will not see from mitt romney. that is like a normal guy, somebody who can connect to you in your p90x group at the gym. talk about what you think will happen tomorrow with mitt romney. >> i have a story for tamara about these people that are going to talk. i talked to an interesting woman who describes herself as a african-american. she describes herself as a liberal democrat. but was and his cabinet in massachusetts. not with them on social issues. she got a phone call inviting her to the convention.

a few weeks later she -- they said, would you like to talk? she will be one of the people. she is going to say nice things. she said, i like the guy. i will not talk about our differences. it will be somebody from his church. we will see some athletes from the 2002 olympics. there will be an interesting cross-section of people singing his praises. that surprises me that what you are saying is he will go negative. this is going to be a feel-good a part of the program. if he suddenly goes negative, it will mark that up. >> maybe try to go negative and a positive way. they have been doing get in ads. mike and i have noted this for two months. if you look at the as the campaign is running. the outside groups are running, he is a good guy but is kind of in over his head.

that is what they want to do. that is the balance he has to hit with the speech. he has to not come off looking nasty or cold. that is part of where crisscrossed the failed. it was just angry. that is why people have always liked paul ryan. people that do not like his medicare plan in congress, they all said, he is a pretty good guy. i give him credit for being intellectually serious on a complex issue. we hear that from even christened and holland and other people who come from a liberal wing in the party. >> what you are talking about is presentation and how you make this message. he did a very good job tonight. the question is whether these will be the policies that the

country wants. in terms of the presentation, democrats -- discussed two mike's. earlier. democrats have been trying to say that ryan is scary. the hope for republicans is if you look at that speech, he does not look scary. here is his mother, his children, his family. >> part of his town is psychology. we do not like to admit we are wrong. we may have to find a way to get a lot of people who voted for obama to move without admitting they were wrong. >> does anybody know the answer to this question. is there any historical polling data on if your convention is held second, at the you get more of a bounce? we will get a lot of coverage on this, and then you will get coverage of obama.

>> this is one of the worries that has been there for a while for republicans as we head into this truncated week. how much of a bounce can we get? >> we are going to go to one of our reporters inside the convention hall with scott walker. >> >> do you think -- that worked for obama four years ago. what about ryan? >> he mentioned there are a lot of people who may be a few years back they were getting something different. thought they were getting more like what they got out of bill clinton. instead they have seen an abysmal failure. not just for the young people but for their families, their parents' generation as well as theirs, it failed. one more reason we need to electing a president. let's he was on the committee and voted no. is that a problem bringing that up in the speech? the fact checkers will go back

and truth squad that. >> this was the president's commission. he empower them to act. proceeded to had nothing. we have had no leadership. they have nothing in the campaign. nothing to back of their records. it will proceed to attack because they cannot defend their abysmal record they have had. >> they needed that to get into the house and senate. >> nobody has made a case to me that the reason he did not act was because a vote here or there. he did act on it because -- if he has a plan he has to move it forward. you should do something with it, not proceed to do nothing. that is a lack of leadership. the american people want leadership here the only people offering that are mitt romney

and paul ryan terry >> did paul ryan move the dial tonight? >> somebody who did not just read off the teleprompter but shared who he is. his personal background. he talked about his father. he died when he was 16. the impact that had on his mother. a ultimately, he built a company that inspired who he is today. for a lot of people who may be thought he was just about the budget. he has deep convictions about the budget. we also saw ultimately we should not be relying on a government where the only thing not freed by the american people. that was an important distinction. he talked about his dad and letter talked about his mom. it was just emotional. paul ryan is not just

courageous politically. paul ryan is a guy i know who is one of the most decent people i have met in my life in or outside of politics. i felt the emotions he felt. i think people all across america. the more they hear from him, the more they will love him. >> that was governor scott walker. he is an example of one of the republicans who has been changing their state and winning an ideological war. he changed the nature of politics in that state. we do not know how it ultimately plays out. both sides are fired up. i will quickly give the final thoughts on the night. -- quickly give your final thoughts on the night. >> condoleezza rice stole the show and paul ryan ended it on a strong the note.

democrats will start picking through his speech. but over all the had a good night. >> a realistic tenable vision for conservatives. >> i think that is exactly right. we will not know how this plays out in the coming months until we see what mitt romney does tomorrow night. in terms of concerns about paul ryan, this one as well as it could have. >> every analysis tomorrow will be positive is my prediction. all the morning shows will be positive for paul ryan. that is the best outcome mitt romney could have wished for tonight. thank you for joining us on news channel 8, cspan, politico.com. >> video from the rnc is on our convention hub website. convention hub website. c-